Customers can keep plan and pay $10 more or buy new package with fewer channels.

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AT&T is reportedly raising the price of DirecTV Now by $10 a month and notifying current subscribers that they will pay the new, higher price starting in April.

DirecTV Now packages today cost $40 to $75 a month before add-ons such as HBO, and current customers will reportedly pay $10 a month more regardless of which package they subscribe to, making the prices $50 to $85. News reports say AT&T is also reconfiguring its channel packages for new subscribers, adding HBO to basic packages while eliminating dozens of channels that aren't part of the AT&T-owned Time Warner Inc. New customers will reportedly be able to choose from two slimmer plans costing $50 or $70 a month.

The price hike and channel reduction are happening despite AT&T promising that its acquisition of Time Warner would lower prices for customers. When the Department of Justice tried to stop the merger, AT&T told a judge in a May 2018 court filing that the merger "will enable the merged company to reduce prices."

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But AT&T raised the base price of its DirecTV Now streaming service by $5 per month in July 2018, just weeks after completing the merger. Now AT&T is imposing an even bigger price increase.

DirecTV Now is the online-only version of DirecTV, delivered without a satellite hookup. AT&T had 1.6 million DirecTV Now subscribers as of December 31, 2018 after losing 267,000 subscribers in the quarter, an AT&T earnings report said. AT&T said that many subscribers on heavily discounted plans didn't keep the service when they had to pay full price.

Current DirecTV Now subscribers will be alerted to the $10 increase in email notifications today and will pay the new price on or after April 12, Cord Cutters News reported. AT&T employees provided documents with this information to Cord Cutters News, the article said.

The new prices for existing customers will be as follows, according to Variety: "Current DirecTV Now customers will see their monthly rates increase $10, while they will continue to receive the same channel lineup. Those are Live a Little (65+ channels), rising to $50/month; Just Right (85+ channels), going up to $65/month; Go Big (105+ channels), which increases to $75/month; Gotta Have It (125+ channels), going to $85/month; and Spanish-language package Todo y Más (90+ channels), increasing to $55/month." For current customers, HBO is a $5-per-month add-on.

The new package information was briefly posted on DirecTV Now's website but was then taken offline, Variety wrote.

Smaller channel lineup in new plans

While current subscribers will reportedly continue receiving the same packages with 65+ to 125+ channels, the packages for new subscribers or people who switch to the new plans will have just 40+ to 50+ channels.

"The new packages are DirecTV Now Plus ($50 per month for 40-plus channels) and DirecTV Now Max ($70 per month for 50-plus channels including regional sports networks and other sports channels), both of which will include HBO," Variety wrote. These new packages will "not include any networks from A&E Networks, AMC Networks, Discovery or Viacom," though "both include channels from AT&T-owned Turner and HBO."

Cord Cutters News published a list of all the channels that will be in the Plus and Max packages. The loss of networks will remove channels such as Comedy Central and BBC America from the basic packages.

Channels that aren't in the new DirecTV Now packages may become available in a new, streaming version of DirecTV, but at higher prices than customers pay for DirecTV Now. It's not clear why AT&T would unveil another streaming version of DirecTV that's separate from DirecTV Now. But here's what Cord Cutters News says about the forthcoming option:

You will now have the option to get DirecTV packages as a streaming package, but the pricing will reportedly be the same as the satellite version.

According to our sources, AT&T will be selling a 65+ channel streaming version of DIRECTV for $93 a month, an 85+ version of DIRECTV for $110 a month, a 105+ channel version of DirecTV for $124, and a 125+ channel version of DirecTV for $135 a month streaming online.

We've asked AT&T for details on the various price and channel changes and will update this story if we get any new information.

AT&T and other pay-TV providers have generally blamed TV price increases on rising programming costs. In online streaming, big companies such as AT&T have found that it's expensive to compete against Netflix, according to a Bloomberg report this week.

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News reports say AT&T is also reconfiguring its channel packages for new subscribers, adding HBO to basic packages while eliminating dozens of channels that aren't part of the AT&T-owned Time Warner Inc.

The price hike and channel reduction are happening despite AT&T promising that its acquisition of Time Warner would lower prices for customers. When the Department of Justice tried to stop the merger, AT&T told a judge in a May 2018 court filing that the merger "will enable the merged company to reduce prices."

No one should be surprised. AT&T are pathological liars. 5GE service anyone?

The price hike and channel reduction are happening despite AT&T promising that its acquisition of Time Warner would lower prices for customers. When the Department of Justice tried to stop the merger, AT&T told a judge in a May 2018 court filing that the merger "will enable the merged company to reduce prices."

I have no doubt that they reduced a price of *something* for a customer somewhere and would be more than happy to point to that single, one-off reduction in a price of a thing as proof they reduced prices post-merger. Bastards, all of 'em.

News reports say AT&T is also reconfiguring its channel packages for new subscribers, adding HBO to basic packages while eliminating dozens of channels that aren't part of the AT&T-owned Time Warner Inc.

Too bad antitrust enforcement in this country isn't worth a damn.

That would require the FTC to have teeth, and for the FCC to care. Republicans believe in an eye for eye tooth for tooth philosophy. so they neutered, blinded, and pulled the teeth out of the FTC and FCC.

Just look at Ajti Pai, trying to stop robo calling, when his policies are actually increasing robocalling as he won't hold them accountable.

Usually a company waits a few years before doing the exact thing regulators expressed concern about. You almost have to respect AT&T's complete lack of deception here. They're abusing their monopoly and they're publically damn proud of it.

Can't consumer groups go back to the judge that said "go ahead" and say "look, here, they're making it more costly for consumers, they lied" and get the court to fine them $$$$$ for lying under oath or something?

Can't consumer groups go back to the judge that said "go ahead" and say "look, here, they're making it more costly for consumers, they lied" and get the court to fine them $$$$$ for lying under oath or something?

It isn't too late for the government to deny the merger. They won't for reasons that should be obvious.

On the one hand I’m pissed over these monopoly telecoms pulling this crap.

On the other hand I haven’t watched cable or satellite tv since I cut the cord 15 years ago.

I like T-Mobile but expect the same BS of their merger with sprint goes through. I’m a heck of a lot less concerns about Google, Amazon and Apple then I am about the Luxottica (eyeglasses), Media, medical, and pharmaceutical conglomerates.

Usually a company waits a few years before doing the exact thing regulators expressed concern about. You almost have to respect AT&T's complete lack of deception here. They're abusing their monopoly and they're publically damn proud of it.

Well the usual accusation is Pai eats children / infants. And for the past 2 years Randall Stephenson was the President of the Boy Scouts of America. I'm not saying the two things are related, but they could be <aliens.jpg>.

Stephenson was notably also a huge part of the SWB/SBC and Bell South mergers where AT&T originally started testing their strength, consumer abuse, and fraudulent court / FCC / FTC filings. AT&T is only eclipsed by Wells Fargo when it comes to fraud and active contempt for their customers.

We've heard the humorous cliche "The big print giveth; the small print taketh away." But with AT&T, it's "The big print giveth; the small print taketh and taketh and taketh and taketh and taketh and taketh away."

Can't consumer groups go back to the judge that said "go ahead" and say "look, here, they're making it more costly for consumers, they lied" and get the court to fine them $$$$$ for lying under oath or something?

It isn't too late for the government to deny the merger. They won't for reasons that should be obvious.

News reports say AT&T is also reconfiguring its channel packages for new subscribers, adding HBO to basic packages while eliminating dozens of channels that aren't part of the AT&T-owned Time Warner Inc.

Too bad antitrust enforcement in this country isn't worth a damn.

That would require the FTC to have teeth, and for the FCC to care. Republicans believe in an eye for eye tooth for tooth philosophy. so they neutered, blinded, and pulled the teeth out of the FTC and FCC.

Just look at Ajti Pai, trying to stop robo calling, when his policies are actually increasing robocalling as he won't hold them accountable.

It's not as much lack of enforcement, as it is a disturbing narrowing of the definition for robocall. Currently, the definition is so narrow, that little actually qualifies as an unsolicited robocall. More importantly, the opt-out can be buried in difficult to find ToS agreements and made impractical to engage for consumers (hence the jab with the fast screen Moby Dick bit towards the end).

Can't consumer groups go back to the judge that said "go ahead" and say "look, here, they're making it more costly for consumers, they lied" and get the court to fine them $$$$$ for lying under oath or something?

Probably no. Courts usually "retain jurisdiction" when they feel a need to oversee the implementation of the court's order, or when the court, for whatever reason, wants to retain the ability "modify its previous rulings or orders." If the court did not retain jurisdiction, the only thing the gov't or private plaintiffs can do is start a new lawsuit.

I'm just tired of going to search, search for surprised pikachu, change filters to gif. Find site that is allowing direct links. Copy. Paste here between img brackets. Sigh. AT&T you are making me work hard!

I cut the cable cord several years ago. Last year, my family got the AT&T ultimate package for our cell phones. One benefit was reduced price DirecTV Now for $10 a month. Then during the year it went to $15 a month. Now that prices are going up to $25 a month, I don't see the point of keeping it. 250% increase in less than two years.

Glad I live in the UK. £150 a year to watch all live tv, a few hundred channels of freeview including all BBC ad free, or completely free to watch using digital catch up (all the channels bar bbc, minutes after they've aired live).

I'm thinking the only people nowadays who are shocked are those who have been living in comas for the last decade and woke up today.

I don't know. Majority of Americans have no idea just how scummy telcos are. Sure they know they hate to call customer service because they get a runaround, but other than that as long as the bits are flowing they don't care because they don't think about it too much.

Glad I live in the UK. £150 a year to watch all live tv, a few hundred channels of freeview including all BBC ad free, or completely free to watch using digital catch up (all the channels bar bbc, minutes after they've aired live).

Oh yeah?! Well, we get to have the privilege of paying tens of thousands of dollars for our hospitalizations!

Can't consumer groups go back to the judge that said "go ahead" and say "look, here, they're making it more costly for consumers, they lied" and get the court to fine them $$$$$ for lying under oath or something?

The consumer doesn't have legal standing in corporate mergers. Only the federal government does.

Can't consumer groups go back to the judge that said "go ahead" and say "look, here, they're making it more costly for consumers, they lied" and get the court to fine them $$$$$ for lying under oath or something?

It isn't too late for the government to deny the merger. They won't for reasons that should be obvious.

I don't even care that Trump wants to block it for the wrong reasons. That would be the one thing I'd appreciate from his administration.

Glad I live in the UK. £150 a year to watch all live tv, a few hundred channels of freeview including all BBC ad free, or completely free to watch using digital catch up (all the channels bar bbc, minutes after they've aired live).

Don't tell us how good you got it in your socialist country, comrade. We here in 'Merca are just lovin' our rich capitalist overlords that we don't want any of the good for the people commie crap spoken here. I'm a poor proud 'Mercan and love getting less and paying more....Yeah baby, America First....

/s

Another version is "Here American Poor Person, take this gun that is your right to own and shoot yourself in the foot. Trust us, you'll love it. Later, we'll make you pay more for the next gun for the other foot" (as spoken by an AT&T Marketing Rep)

Well. My package was grandfathered in from a major discount since the beginning. However it has not been immune to these prices changes. As noted in the article if I had to pay full price I would walk immediately. Given my $40 plan will now be $55 I think it’s time to look at another provider. Sling and Sony PS view look like decent alternatives. Too bad too because the DVR was great, TV app integration has just come about and most of the playback issues had been solved. Guess ATT figured they were out of beta and now can ask full price. Good job shooting off your own foot ATT.

Glad I live in the UK. £150 a year to watch all live tv, a few hundred channels of freeview including all BBC ad free, or completely free to watch using digital catch up (all the channels bar bbc, minutes after they've aired live).